Pause
by Musicnutt
Summary: Series of drabbles based off of my oneshots: Fast Forward and Rewind. Would be best if u read them first. Drabbles not in chronological order. Update, whenever I get inspired. R
1. War

_The trouble with having a stubborness contest with your kids is that they have your stubborness gene. - Robert Brault._

* * *

"What the _hell_ is that?"

James Howard Stark, gave a start as he was pulled from his methodical calculations. He swiveled around on his work stool to face his accuser.

His dad, Tony Stark, stood in the threshold of the door, looking like someone had just painted the IM suit in hot pink. (it was only that one time…)

James glanced around the garage for the object of offence, but found nothing. _No one here but us chickens._

"What the hell is what, Pops?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Tony just looked even more offended.

The older Stark gestured wildly at the ceiling. "This-This STUFF!" James glanced up.

There was nothing there.

He then blinked very slowly. Once. Twice…

"Dad? Are you okay?" He spoke with measured calm, not allowing the "_Oh, crap. Is this the onset of dementia?" _display on his face. Perhaps it was brain damage collected from the past decade of SHEILD missions. _Should I have Jarvis page mom?_

Tony clapped a hand to his chest dramatically, momentarily causing his son to fear cardiac arrest. "I'm _fine_! _**You're**_ the one with the problem!"

"…huh?" James replied numbly, trying to pay attention while planning out how to get his dad to the nearest hospital to check for brain damage, heart problems, and- wait, _what_?

"Problem? What problem? I have a problem?" He sputtered thoroughly confused. Tony looked pleased that James was finally starting to get over his denial.

"Yes! You do. Because no sane kid your age would listen to this stuff." He declared firmly, jabbing his finger at the ceiling again from which James realized that a male tenor was singing "Nessundorna".

James suddenly remembered that he had asked Jarvis to play-

"Best of Pavarotti?" He gaped at his father. _That's_ what his whole thing was about? "But it's a classic!"

Tony's face crinkled in disgust.

"It's OPERA!" He exclaimed like it was some kind of sin against humanity.

"He's the best tenor in recorded history. It's-"

"It's OPERA!" James scowled.

"That's not even an argument." He quipped. "Besides, it's a lot better than that stuff you listen to."

Tony scoffed. "I have great taste in music!" James rolled his eyes.

"Right. You can't even understand what they're saying under all that _noise_."

"Well, this is old fart music. Even the geezers at the company don't listen to this stuff."

"So I like geezer music, it's cultured."

"It's geezer music."

"Once again, that's not an argument."

They stared at each other heels dug in like the stubborn mules that they were. James' Pavarotti playlist ended and switched over to the Ratpack playlist. Frank Sinatra's "Under My Skin" started up.

Tony leaned back, crossing his arms triumphantly. "See, geezer music."

"_Not_ an argument." James sniffed, turning back to his work, but not before discreetly turning up the volume. Normally he would never stoop to such a juvenile tactic, but insult Sinatra…

Oh, this is war.

* * *

The next day, Pepper woke up to ACDC "Shoot to Thrill" blaring from the garage. Not a second later, it was cut off by an even louder rendition of Bach's "Toccata and Fugue" that actually made the floor vibrate. Her alarm clock rattled until it fell off of her bedside drawer and tumbled away. She desperately wrapped he head in her pillow, praying that it would stop.

ACDC suddenly cut off the organ scales, only to be replaced with Nat King Cole belting out "Unforgettable", the normally peaceful song, now a booming war cry.

When a particularly shrill version of "Stairway to Heaven" assaulted her ears, she'd had enough.

Storming downstairs, she found the two Stark men engaged in what seemed to be an elementary school slappy-fight. They were furiously hitting the buttons on the garage speaker controls that Tony had installed into the table in the middle of the room and wrestling each others' hands away.

Had Pepper not been so irked, and the music not so deafening, the scene might have been funny.

But not today.

"ENOUGH!" She bellowed, Wife and Mother now mixed together in an explosive chemical reaction that threatened to blow the garage and everything in it to kingdom come.

The boys didn't stand a chance.

The two men froze in a rather comical way, while Jarvis, finally given a moment, shut off the music; the sudden silence emphasizing the awkwardness of the situation.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? IT'S THREE IN THE MORNING, ON A _SUNDAY_!" she shrieked at them. They flinched like two scolded children (well, James sort of had an excuse). Tony's eyes flicked from her to the floor and back again, while James just stared at the floor silently like it was the latest Droid phone.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, I DON'T _CARE_ WHAT THE PROBLEM IS," She was now trembling in rage, her face as red as her hair.

"YOU'RE BOTH _GROUNDED_!"

Tony's mouth opened to protest, but Pepper wasn't having it.

"If I hear a peep out of this garage today," She turned to her son, "I'll take your record collection," to Tony "and your cars, and _sell_ them! Do you understand?"

Wide-eyed, they nodded vigorously.

"James, bed."

"Bu-"

"TO BED." He skittered away, leaving Tony at Pepper's mercy.

"Tony, the couch."

"Yes, Ma'am."

* * *

It was about a month later, when they were finally allowed to go back to the garage, that they ended the dispute.

They stood across from each other, the speaker control between them.

James extended the olive branch first.

"I like what I like; you like what you like. Truce?" Tony mulled it over.

"I guess Sinatra isn't half-bad."

"Sinatra is awesome, but I accept your apology."

"Who said it was an apology?"


	2. Karma

**Karma**

* * *

_If you must hold yourself up to your children as an object lesson, hold yourself up as a warning and not as an example. ~George Bernard Shaw_

_The guys who fear becoming fathers don't understand that fathering is not something perfect men do, but something that perfects the man. The end product of child raising is not the child but the parent. ~Frank Pittman_

_If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves. ~C.G. Jung_

_Children make you want to __start__ life over. ~Muhammad Ali_

* * *

If there was one thing that Tony could have changed about his life, he would choose the drinking. Not to say that there weren't other important things, like the women, his relationship with Pepper, his weapons, Afghanistan, his parents, his utter douchebagness in general; but the booze had been one of the most afflicting problems in his life.

Tony had started fairly young, fifteenish, though he wasn't entirely sure when, because that first shot of bourbon had knocked him out cold. But then one became two, and two became ten, and it had only grown.

He eventually did quit. For Pepper. And had never been more grateful that he had until the day he had cradled his son in his arms for the first time in the hospital.

Tony had felt revived, refreshed, resurrected. It had been the start of a new (clean) life. But alas, old demons continued to haunt.

James' eighteenth birthday had triggered it. Three years from now, his son would be old enough to drink, and the realization of this fact was more sobering than an ice cold shower. He remembered with sharp clarity the words Rhodes had spoken when he had informed his friend of Pepper's pregnancy.

"You know, Tony, karma often manifests in the form of one's children." The man had teased cheerfully as they celebrated Tony's impending fatherhood.

At the time it had been vaguely amusing, having a mini-me to pal around with, but after actually becoming a father, Tony had found that it was the last thing he wanted.

In spite of what he might have said to Pepper in the years before Afghanistan, alcohol had never made him happy. It had never dulled the ache of his parent's death, just as the numerous women he bedded never filled the emptiness in his heart. It had made him more miserable. It sunk its hooks in him and wouldn't let go until he had nearly died from alcohol poisoning. He had suffered through enough hangovers and worshiped at the altar of the porcelain god more times than he could remember even with the memory loss.

The misery, the pain, and the addiction had been such an integral part of his life that he hadn't even realized how far he had fallen. Only after he'd quit was he able to see the extent of self-inflicted damage accrued.

And the very thought of his precious little boy, the infant he had once held in his arms, the child that had gazed up at him in such pure admiration and love, hunched over the toilet puking and reeking and drowning in the tar-pit of addiction was enough to make Tony physically ill.

He would not allow it. He couldn't.

And even though a tiny voice in the back of his head warned that James would probably taste alcohol eventually, Tony resolved that at the very least, he would not be the one to set him on that path of self-destruction.

Even if it meant dishonoring the celebrated father-son-first-drink tradition.

Because Tony knew it always started with 'just one'.

And just one was enough to ruin everything.

Karma be damned.

It wasn't happening on his watch.

* * *

Yeah, I know. It's short. But the next one should be coming soon.


	3. Vocabulary

**Vocabulary**

* * *

_Children seldom misquote. In fact they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said. _

_Diogenes struck the father when the son swore. – Robert Burton._

* * *

"Damnit!"

It had been an accident. Really.

"Damnit?"

Tony and Rhodes stiffened. _Oh, hell no!_

They turned to face the owner of that sweet little voice in mutual horror. In the doorway to the garage stood James Howard Stark. He had just turned two and had apparently just learned his first swearword.

Tony dug the heels of his palms into his eye sockets. And he had been doing _so_ good too.

"_Shiiiiitt." _He hissed furiously.

"Shit?" The little boy chirped, gazing up at the two men in adorable befuddlement. Rhodes pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping to ward off an impending migraine.

"Great job, Tony. Pepper is going to kill you." James immediately perked up at the mention of his mother's name.

"Mommy?" He turned to rush back up the stairs. Tony lunged across the garage after his son.

"OOH NO! No, no, no, no, no!" He scooped the toddler up on the middle stair and hurried back into the garage, where his friend now just looked on in amusement.

"You know, he'll learn these things eventually. Besides, it wasn't the _worst_ he could have heard."

"Shit?" _Yes, shit indeed._

"Try telling that to Pepper. She'll blow a gasket." Tony scowled at Rhodes in frustration as he clasped the squirming child to his chest. For some reason, "Pepper" seemed to translate as "Go see mommy right now."

"What do I do?"

"Um, accept the fact that Pepper's gonna find out and let it go?"

Tony, refusing to accept defeat, squatted down and turned his son to face him.

"Hey, buddy. You know that thing you just said?"

"Shit?"

"..Yeah, that. Well, uh, it's a bad word, okay? And we don't say bad words, do we? Especially in front of Mommy, because then Daddy will have to sleep on the couch. And we don't want Daddy to have to sleep on the couch, right?"

Poor James just looked more confused and stared at Tony, eyes wide with incomprehension. Rhodes began to shake in silent laughter.

"_Ah-hem_. Right, Jimmy?" His son slowly shook his head. "That's right, we don't want Daddy to sleep on the couch. So you have to promise not to say that stuff to Mommy, okay?"

The boy nodded.

"Good boy, Jimmy!"

Rhodes just sighed as they watched the little guy run upstairs.

"You do know that he's probably going to tell her right now, don't you?"

Tony just slumped on a work stool and buried his face in his hands.

"Yeah." It was worth a try at least.

Might as well grab a pillow.

* * *

Pepper had just finished sending a memo when she suddenly realized that she had forgotten to include an important footnote in it.

"Oh, crap."

"Crap?"

* * *

Is it just me or are these chapters getting shorter. -_-'


	4. Denial

Warning: Alternate Univ. from my own AU. :) Weird huh?

* * *

**Denial**

* * *

_Few tragedies can be more extensive than the stunting of life, few injustices deeper than the denial of an opportunity to strive or even to hope, by a limit imposed from without, but falsely identified as lying within. _  
_Stephen Jay Gould _

_How often it is that the angry man rages denial of what his inner self is telling him. _  
_Frank Herbert_

_I believe we're all in denial about the people we love. _  
_David Geffen_

* * *

Tony was in a foul mood today. It was Rhodey's fault oddly enough, as it was usually the other way around, with Tony bugging the Colonel into a Will-You-Shut-The Hell-Up-Tony disposition, but he digressed.

They had been talking, or rather Tony had been whining to Rhodey about something or another while the man endured him, when the Colonel's kid…er, whatshisname, called on the phone. It wasn't an unusual occurrence since his friend had made the mistake of fathering the boy (afterall, weren't children the greatest mistake of all humans?), and so it hadn't bothered Tony as he amused himself with another shot of bourbon while father and son talked.

Until Rhodey smiled.

It wasn't one of those smirks or vaguely amused grins that Tony was used to seeing, but a small, thoughtful smile full of warmth and unconditional love shared only between family.

And Tony hated it.

It's not like he wasn't happy for his friend. Rhodey was a great guy and deserved to be happy. The guy had a great job (when he wasn't complaining about it), a great marriage, a great kid (at least that was the general consensus); he had it made. He had everything that Tony didn't have, or want for that matter.

Because Tony had a great job. Oh, yes. He did. He was Iron Man for cripes sake. A freaking superhero. It didn't get much more awesome than that. Even with Fury breathing down his neck all the time.

Secondly, Tony wasn't married and never would be. Why would he want to?

Tony Stark with _one_ woman for the rest of his life? _Please!_

Besides, the only woman he would even consider having a real relationship with was gone. Pepper had abruptly left him about seventeen years ago without even leaving a note.

And Tony _wasn't_ bitter because he had no reason to be. Even if they had slept together it's not like they had been exclusive or anything.

Finally, a kid?

That didn't even warrant a dispute.

And so Tony wasn't even sure what it was that set him on edge that morning, but it had. However much he might have wanted to, Tony couldn't be angry with Rhodey for just being happy. After all, Rhodey was kind of the only friend that he had, so snapping at him for absolutely nothing, yes, _nothing_, wouldn't really be the 'friendly' thing to do.

So, in order to keep from shoving his foot in his mouth and ruining the only relationship he had left, Tony had muttered an excuse off the top of his head and fled, in spite of the fact that it was his mansion.

That was how Tony had ended up storming into SHEILD Headquarters and finding out that he was early for the meeting. Early!

Tony Stark was _never_ early for SHEILD meetings. E-ver. In fact, he vehemently made it a point to never be on time for Nick Fury (the bastard). Not since…

And now he was just pissed off again.

He made up his mind to just leave because Tony Stark didn't wait for anybody. Unfortunately, Fury caught him in the hall.

"Why, Mr. Stark, You're early today." The eye not covered by the patch fixed him with an accessing, suspicious look. Tony just sneered.

"Everyone makes mistakes. Which reminds me, I think I left the light on at home."

The bald man was just about to reprimand him, when his gaze flickered over Tony's shoulder.

Now, Tony wasn't exactly an idiot (according to Rhodey he was a special kind), and while he was usually only subjected to Angry Fury, Pissed Fury, and You-aren't- worth-wasting-air-over Fury, he could still figure out the meaning behind the slight widening of that eye.

It was a kind of "Oh shit!" that Tony liked to inspire in people for fun, but had never managed to do so in Fury. He was actually rather eager to see what had caused it and made to turn when the other man suddenly gripped his arm forcing his attention away from said cause.

"Actually, Tony, I don't think we need you here today." Tony raised a meticulously groomed eyebrow at Fury, who had erased any outward signs of discomfort perfectly.

"Why don't you go home." It was not a question.

Normally Tony would have leaped at the chance to leave, but he wanted to _see_, damnit! What in the world caused that flash of alarm in the unalarmable (no, it's not a word) bastard. It had to be something awesome!

But before he could whip around to get a good look, Fury had steered him through a door and booted him out.

Tony had, however, caught a fleeting glimpse of a man in a lab coat staring at a datapad held out before him. Had Fury not kicked him out, the guy would have walked right past them. Something that Fury did not want enough to make Tony miss a meeting.

Weird.

But _very_ interesting.

His mood somewhat cooled by the bizarre behavior of his "keeper", Tony allowed a devious smirk to settle over his features as he contemplated the mystery that had fallen into his lap.

This would be fun.

And it would be a welcome distraction from thinking about Rhodey, his kid,…and Pepper.

* * *

Okay. This little story arc will be about three or four drabbles long. I know you guys probably hate hearing it, but please review. It's hard to figure out if I'm really doing all that well, and when I don't think I'm doing well, my plot bunny goes into a coma. :(

To those of you who have reviewed: Marie Nomad, Volitan, Thatpersonwhoisthatperson, ShellyStark, and CirqueDuSkweek; thanks so much for your kind comments. You guys are so awesome, and I hope you continue to enjoy these drabbles.

If it's not too much, I wouldn't mind if you post some One Word Ideas. Much appreciated.


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